IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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A 


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f/- 


1.0 


I.I 


ii^l^    125 


IL25  i  1.4 


2.0 

Kill 
i.6 


Fhotograiiiic 
_,Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  M5W 

(716)  S72-4503 


ii^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  foi  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Irstitct  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


^ 


iV 


1981 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  ct  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  uf  filming,  are  checked  belojv. 


n 


D 


n 


n 


a 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pelliculie 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  matgin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  tong  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blenches  t>iOiiiiB8 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte.. 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'o^^t 
pas  dt6  fjimdes. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qj'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  mdiqu6s  ci-desoous. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


□ 

0 
D 
D 

a 
n 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/cr  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pelliculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stainod  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolordes,  tachet^es  ou  piqu^es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualitd  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partia!ly  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc..  ont  6t6  filmdes  6  nouveau  da  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  imagfa  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  documant  est  i\\m6  au  tau/t  de  reduction  indiquO  ci-dessous. 

10X  14.x  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


n 


12X 


16X 


2DX 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


L'tfxemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
pubiiques  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  las*  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmad  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  prinlted  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —»>( meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmeci  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  4t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  netteti  de  I'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  film6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  (;lat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  selon  In  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exomplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commen^arit  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telia 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  docunrsent  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich«,  il  est  fiimi  d  partir 
de  I'angle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diajiammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

A 

e 

6 

•1 

o 

lEniarKed  and  reprinted  from  the  North  Ameuican  Ukview,  August,  1880,  by  kind 
perniisaion  of  the  Editor,  General  Lloyd  Brycc.  1 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  CANADA. 


BY  ERASTUS  WIMAN. 


It  seems  now,  in  the  natural  order  of  things  in  the  United 
States,  that  Canada  should  bo  captured.  With  armed  cruisers  in 
the  St.  Lawrence  watching  the  fishermen  of  the  United  States, 
who  are  compelled  to  take  out  licenses  from  a  foreign  government 
to  authorize  them  to  pursue  their  peaceful  vocation' ;  with  the  as- 
sembling of  a  fleet  of  armed  vessels  from  both  countries  in 
Bering  Straits  to  detect  or  protect  Canadian  sealers  ;  with  rumors 
of  great  military  preparations,  and  increase  of  defensive  arma- 
ment ;  the  arrival  of  torpedo-boats  ;  the  construction  of  the  Ber- 
muda cable,  justified  only  by  war  purposes  ;  and  other  unusual 
movements  in  times  of  peace,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  people  of  ^ 
the  United  States  are  somewhat  startled,  and  that  the  question  is 
asked,  "  Has  not  the  time  for  the  capture  of  Canada  come  ?  " 

No  one  dreams  of  war  for  this  purpose.  No  other  two  nations 
have  interests  so  identical,  and  there  are  none  whose  future  is  so 
wrapt  up  in  each  other's  peace  and  prosperity,  as  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States.  There  never  was  less  inclination  apparent 
among  any  people  than  among  those  of  the  United  States  for  the 
acquirement  of  additional  territory  by  the  aid  of  the  sword.  There 
is,  however,  a  great  desire — nay,  a  great  necessity — for  an  expan- 
sion of  their  trade  to  continental  dimensions ;  and  if  Canada  can  be 
commercially  captured  by  the  peaceful  means  of  policy,  it  is  a  clear 
duty  to  capture  her  in  that  way.  If  the  enormous  resources  of 
this"  Greater  Half  of  the  Continent"  can  be  made  tributary  to 
the  progress  of  the  United  States  by  leg;' datiou,  by  occupancy 
through  individual  purchase,  by  development,  and  by  the  creation 
of  a  mutuality  of  interests,  it  would  seeai  to  be  the  very  best  form 
of  statesmanship  to  achieve  that  result.  The  time  and  the  oir- 
cumstanoes  are  extremely  favorable  to  accomplish  this  purpose, 
and  if  the  military  preparations  have  the  effect  of  directing  atten- 


i 


C  V) 


tion  to  the  question  of  the  possibility  of  a  peaceful  capture,  they 
will  uot  have  been  in  vain. 

But  there  are  other  influences  than  military  preparation  at 
work  to  enforce  the  conviction  tluit  ('anada  is  essential  to  the 
United  States.  The  tier  of  territorial  commonwealths  along  the 
northern  border  of  the  Republic  are  now  admitted  to  statehood, 
and  the  limitation  of  new  territory  in  the  North,  as  in  the  South, 
is  quite  as  marked  as  that  on  the  Pacific  in  the  West  or  on  the 
Atlantic  on  the  East.  The  boundaries  of  the  great  Republic  are 
all  fixed  and  determined,  and  no  more  area  for  expansion  except 
from  within  the  United  States  seems  possible.  If  more  breathing 
space  for  this  vast  and  growing  aggregation  of  humanity  is 
needed,  it  must  be  towards  the  north,  or  towards  the  south  ;  and 
all  the  circumstances,  all  the  tendencies  and  influences,  point  most 
unerringly  towards  the  north. 

The  commercial  equipment  of  the  period  is  on  the  basis  of 
occupation  of  new  territory.  The  railroad-builders,  the  loco- 
motive-makers, the  steel-rail  mills,  the  coal-shippers,  and  men  in 
ten  thousand  other  industries,  if  they  are  to  be  employed,  must 
get  into  new  territory,  or  else  greatly  restrict  the  activity  that  has 
hitherto  prevailed.  New  territory  is  equally  needed  for  occupa- 
tion for  a  never-ceasing  increase  of  population,  produced  both 
from  enormous  immigration  and  from  natural  increase.  The 
development  of  natural  resources  in  new  regions^  which  has  been 
so  constant  up  to  this  period,  and  which  has  contributed  in  so 
large  a  degree  to  the  growth  and  wealth  of  the  country,  must  still 
continue.  But  this  activity  must  find  new  fields.  If  the  expan- 
sion of  iommerce  as  shown  in  the  growth  of  internal  trade,  which 
the  new  census  will  reveal  as  the  most  marvellous  phenomenon 
that  the  statistical  world  has  ever  seen,  is  to  suddenly  cease,  and 
the  increase  hereafter  confine  itself  to  the  limits  of  the  Union  as 
it  already  exists,  it  would  seem  as  if  a  period  of  decadence  in 
statistical  increase  might  now  commence.  The  ratio  of  increase 
of  wealth,  in  extent  of  trade,  which  the  last  two  decades  of  the 
nineteenth  century  will  show,  cannot  be  maintained  in  the  first 
two  decades  of  the  twentieth  century  without  wider  area  and  en- 
larged resources. 

It  seems  incredible  that,  without  more  room  for  expansion, 
without  the  occupation  of  greater  territory,  and  without  further 
development  of  great  natural  wealth,  the  same  pace  of  increase 


I 


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8 

can  be  maintained.  If,  for  instance,  nearly  all  the  coal  mines  of 
the  United  States  are  in  possession  of  various  railroad  companies, 
what  chance  is  there  for  the  new  generation  of  coal-miners  to 
make  a  profit,  except  as  delvers  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  in  the 
pay  of  other  people  ?  If  all  the  iron  and  copper  mines  are  pre- 
empted, the  opportunities  of  those  that  come  hereafter  and 
want  to  develop  iroa  and  copper  mines  will  ')e  restricted.  The 
Calumet  and  Hecla  Mine  and  the  Anaconda  Mine  are  each  dif- 
ficult to  duplicate  within  the  area  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
children  of  the  present  generation  who  want  to  dig  for  iron  and 
copper  must  go  elsewhere,  or  fail  in  the  attempt,  unless  the  rest  of 
the  continent  is  opened  up,  in  which  there  are  abundant  chances 
for  the  discovery  and  development  of  iron  and  copper,  as,  indeed, 
for  every  other  factor  and  opportunity  that  have  thus  far  stimu- 
lated and  sustained  the  American  people  in  their  rapid  race  for 
wealth  and  greatness. 

Especially  of  timber  is  this  true.  A  considerable  portion  of 
the  community  have  made  money  by  the  manufacture  and  hana- 
ling  of  timber  and  lumber,  and  this  cannot  be  duplicated  in  the 
next  generation,  unless  a  supply  of  these  articles  is  to  be  had.  The 
exhaustion  of  the  forests  of  Maine,  the  disappearance  of  the  forests 
of  the  Saginaw  valley,  and  the  utter  disregsird  for  the  future  by 
which  the  policy  of  protection  has  stimulated  the  policy  of  destruc- 
tion, will  in  aquarter  of  a  century  result  in  denuding  vast  areas  of 
the  United  States  of  the  timber  supply  available  within  reason- 
able reach  of  its  great  points  of  demand.  All  the  industries 
dependent  upon  timber,  if  they  are  to  grow  in  the  next  twenty 
years,  will  need  new  resources  for  the  supply  of  the  raw  material. 

Whence  can  these  be  obtained  except  from  the  portion  of  the 
continent  outside  of  the  United  States  ?  This  question  needs  an 
answer  after  much  thought,  and  after  che  full  realization  of  the 
fact  that  there  is  to-day  standing  in  Germany — a  completed 
country — a  larger  supply  of  timber  per  capita  than  there  is  in  the 
United  States — a  country  in  which  the  growth  and  creation  of 
homes  are  an  essential  element  of  progress.  When  one  recalls  the 
vast  stretches  of  treeless  prairies  within  the  United  States,  in 
which  shelter  must  be  provided,  the  necessities  and  exhaustion 
of  rainless  regions  resulting  from  the  destruction  of  the  forests, 
and  the  rapid  growth  of  vast  cities  on  the  lakes  and  plains,  and 
also  the  fact  that  from  the  northern  part  of  the  continent  alone 


iS«l!**i 


is  a  supply  of  timber  certain  for  all  fnturo  time,  the  necessity 
for  the  extension  of  commerce  so  as  to  include  iheso  areas  is 
apparent. 

But  it  is  not  alone  as  a  source  of  supply  that  an  increased  area 
is  needed  for  the  United  States,  in  which  the  energies  of  the  peo- 
ple may  be  employed,  as  in  mineral  or  in  forest  wealth.  The 
exhaustion  of  wheat  lands  is  a  consideration  of  the  most  vital 
import  in  relation  to  the  future  supply  of  the  food  of  this  conti- 
nent. It  is  a  startling  fact,  not  yet  fully  realized  by  the  people 
of  this  country,  that  within  fifty  years,  at  the  present  rate  of 
procedure,  the  United  Slatas  may  be  a  large  importer  of  bread- 
stuffs.  The  growth  of  population  is  so  rapid,  the  exhaustion  of 
the  arable  land  so  constant,  that  without  new  and  cultivable  ter- 
ritory the  sources  for  the  supply  of  food  products  will  soon  be 
below  even  the  local  demand.  The  steady  trend  of  wheat-pro- 
duction to  the  northern  tier  of  States  is  one  of  the  most  marked 
features  of  the  time,  and  the  fact  that  tlie  wheat  of  the  continent 
is  now  derived  from  a  narrow  belt  in  its  extreme  northern  half  is 
significant  testimony  to  the  necessity  of  larger  wheat  areas  than 
are  now  possessed  within  the  Union.  When  it  is  recalled  that 
the  best  wheat-producing  region  of  the  world  is  found  just  north 
of  the  Minnesota  line,  and  that  in  the  new  provinces  and  terri- 
tories of  the  Canadian  Northwest  there  's  a  possible  wheat  supply 
for  all  time,  it  will  be  seen  how  important  has  been  the  provision 
of  nature  for  the  food  of  mankind. 

It  is  not,  however,  in  minerals,  in  timber,  or  in  wheat  areas 
alone  that  the  necessity  exists  for  the  employment  of  the  rapidly- 
increasing  numbers  of  the  people  of  this  country.  Cheap  food 
for  New  England  is  the  necessity  of  the  hour  in  that  region.  If 
the  New  England  States  are  to  maintain  themselves  in  the  great 
competitive  struggle  which  has  set  in  in  the  Southern  and 
Western  States,  and  in  which  is  threatened  the  extinction  of 
one-half  of  the  existing  industries  in  cotton,  iron,  and  other 
staples,  the  essential  element  of  success  will  be  a  cheap  and  near- 
by supply  of  raw  material,  and  a  certainty  of  food  for  New  Eng- 
land artisans  at  the  lowest  possible  rate.  Competition  between 
various  sections  of  the  country  i  j  st  as  severe  in  its  effects  on 
those  regions  that  are  placed  at  a  disadvantage  as  if  the  competi- 
tion came  from  abroad.  The  employers  and  laborers  in  the  New 
England  States  suffer  as  much  from  the  disadvantage  of  location 


as  they  would  from  the  pauper  labor  of  Europe,  and  provision 
agaiust  pauper  labor  k  not  inoro  earnestly  called  for  than  provision 
against  adverse  location. 

If  the  Southern  and  Western  States  are  to  control  the  market 
of  the  West  and  East  by  the  fact  that  coal,  iron,  and  cheap  food 
are  side  by  side,  then  must  New  England  be  cared  for  in  an  equal 
degree,  for  the  geographical  and  physical  advantage  which  these 
States  possess  can  bo  equalled  in  New  England  for  foreign 
trade  by  the  opeiiing-up  of  the  adjacent  territories  included 
within  the  Maritime  Provinces.  Here  are  abundant  supplies  of 
coal  and  iron  within  an  area  in  which  the  charge  for  freight 
ranges  from  seventy-five  cents  to  one  dollar  per  ton.  Here  also  in 
the  Maritime  Provinces  arc  abundant  sources  of  food  supply.  No 
other  country  in  the  world  can  produce  potatoes,  apples,  oats,  hay, 
poultry,dairy  produce,  and,still  moro  important, the  finest  fish  food, 
equal  to  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  Prince  Edward's  Island. 
No  region  has  produced  a  better  class  of  cheap  labor,intelligent,con- 
tented,  and  industrious,  than  has  Quebec.  Every  element  of  suc- 
cess which  the  Eastern  States  need  in  order  to  compete  with  an 
outside  market  like  Great  Britain  and  Germany,  the  Maritime 
Provinces  and  Quebec  can  furnish. 

Without  these  cheapened  supplies  of  raw  material,  without 
decreased  cost  of  living,  competition  even  for  the  markets  of  the 
Western  States  is  simply  out  of  the  question,  while  manufactur- 
ing for  foreign  markets  is  equally  impossible.  In  the  unlimited 
supply  of  cheap  raw  material  from  Canada,  in  the  unrestricted 
output  of  fish  and  food  products,  and  the  constant  employment 
of  the  cheap  labor  from  the  North,  the  new  hope  of  New  England 
may  be  found.  Without  these  her  manufacturing  prospects  are 
gloomy  indeed. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  an  equally  advantageous  result  would 
follow  in  the  matter  of  coal.  The  supplies  of  California  must  be 
drawn  from  British  Columbia,  while  midway  across  the  continent 
the  construction  of  railroads  running  north  to  sources  of  coal 
supply  already  indicates  the  absolute  necessity  for  an  interchange 
of  this  natural  product.  Canada  is  possessed  of  97,000  square  miles 
of  coal  territory,  and  coal,  equally  with  her  timber,  her  fish, her  iron, 
copper,  and  silver,  affords  a  fi«ld  for  development  and  business 
activity  that  is  nowhere  surpassed.  The  spectacle  is  presented 
in  the  old  world  of  the  two  nations  of  Great  Britain  and  German) 


iMi 


dividing  between  them  the  Dark  Continent  of  Africa  for  the  pur- 
poBea  of  the  creation  of  trade.  On  this  hemisphere  no  such  con- 
teat  is  needed,  for  the  greater  half  of  North  America,  so  far  as 
trade  and  commerce  are  concerned,  is  immediately  available  for 
the  enterprise  and  energy  of  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

It  may  be  asked  how  such  a  result  as  the  commercial  capture 
of  Canada  can  be  accomplished  in  the  face  of  the  passage  of  the 
McKinley  Bill,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  enforcement  of  an  equal 
prohibitory  tariff  by  the  Canadian  government,  on  the  other.  The 
barbed-wire  fence  which  has  hitherto  run  athwart  the  continent 
is  now  to  be  higher  than  ever ;  and  the  typical  two  brothers  on 
different  sides  of  an  imaginary  line,  who  want  to  trade  a  bushel 
of  potatoes  for  a  bushel  of  apples,  will  encounter  greater  diflRculty 
than  ever  before  in  effecting  the  exchange.  Under  the  new  tariff 
each  will  be  compelled  to  pay  a  paternal  government  twenty-five 
cents  for  the  privilege — a  sum  double  the  cost  of  these  two  prod- 
ucts of  nature.  But  the  hope  of  the  hour  is  that  the  very  extreme 
point  which  the  two  tariffs  have  reached  has  startled  both  people 
and  made  them  realize  the  folly  of  this  practical  prohibition  of 
trade.  So  far  as  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  concerned, 
it  is  apparent  that  the  paltry  five  millions  of  dollars  which  has 
hitherto  been  collected  on  Canadian  products  has  been  an  utterly 
unnecessary  and  unwise  exaction.  Divided  up  between  the  popu- 
lation, it  is  less  than  ten  cents  per  head,  and  yet  for  this  miserable 
trifle  the  sources  of  supply  of  half  a  continent  have  been  stopped, 
and  the  market  within  a  great  and  growing  nation  next  door  to 
the  United  States  has  been  denied. 

True,  the  McKinley  Bill  may  increase  the  amount  so  levied,  so 
that  each  individual  in  the  United  States  will  be  '*  benefited  by 
taxation*'  to  the  extent  of  twenty-five  cents  per  head,  instead  of 
ten  cents,  on  Canadian  agricultural  products.  But  the  ''pro- 
tection "  afforded  is  so  meagre,  the  principle  of  shutting  out  the 
products  of  the  earth  and  the  sea  so  wrong,  and  the  necessity 
for  cheap  food  in  New  England  and  the  Middle  States  so  great, 
that  no  one  for  a  moment  can  justify  the  continuance  of  a  tariff 
against  the  palpable  interests  of  the  United  States,  and  equally 
against  those  of  Canada.  Indeed,  it  is  a  universal  admission  that 
the  McKinley  Bill  has  not  been  specially  aimed  at  Canada.  Al- 
though its  agricultural  sections  will  seriously  threaten  the  solvency 
of  her  farmers,  its  burdens  will  be  shared  by  the  consumers  of 


i 


i 


I 


i 


New  England  and  the  Middle  States,  where  clioap  food  and  free 
raw  material  are  essential  elements  of  prosperity. 

But  the  enforcement  of  the  McKinley  tariff  in  Canada  will 
have  an  effect  of  a  most  startling  character.  Already  the  pro- 
ducers of  thai  country  have  seen  the  folly  of  building  up  a  bar- 
rier between  them  and  their  brethren  across  the  border — against 
people  of  the  same  lineage,  the  sanu;  language,  the  same 
literature,  and  governed  by  the  same  laws.  This  barrier,  even  at 
its  former  height,  has  been  a  difticultone  to  contend  against,  but 
witii  a  proiiibition  that  will  follow  its  elevation  to  double  its  pres- 
ent extent,  the  dissatisfaction  and  discontent  which  will  ensue  in 
Canada  will  be  serious.     Let  us  see  what  shape  they  may  assume. 

Whut  is  known  as  the  "  National  Policy  "  has  been  enforced 
in  Canada  by  the  Tory  party  for  fifteen  years.  Sir  John  Mac- 
donald  and  his  government  have  pursued  a  course  of  isolation  for 
Canada,  as  illustrated  in  the  harsh  interpretation  of  the  Fisheries 
Treaty,  the  discrimination  in  the  canals,  the  encouragement  of 
railroad  guerrilla  warfare,  and,  above  all,  the  persistence  in  the 
highest  duties,  shutting  out  American  products.  Even  such  ar- 
ticles as  were  once  free  arc  Jiow  added  to  the  taxable  list,  notably 
such  trifles  as  berries,  peaches,  and  fruit  generally,  and  trees  and 
shrubs,  equally  with  a  vast  supply  of  com  and  food 
products  from  the  United  States.  The  result  of  this  policy 
to  the  Canadian  farmer  has  not  been  gratifying,  and  a 
great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  (  'sts.  The  Liberal  party, 
on  the  other  hand,  with  Sir  Kichai  Oartwright  as  its  financial 
leader,  has  adopted  a  policy  diametn  '1y  opposed  to  that  of  the 
present  Canadian  government — a  policj  anown  as  that  of  unre- 
stricted reciprocity  with  the  United  States.  The  exact  ope»ationof 
the  application  of  Sir  Richard's  policy  would  be  in  perfect  harmony 
with  that  proposed  for  the  South  American  countries  by  Mr.  Blaine 
in  his  recent  most  important  utterances  regarding  reciprocity.  The 
universal  approval  on  the  part  of  business  men  and  the  commun- 
ity generally  which  Mr.  Blaine's  proposals  have  met,  so  far  as 
South  America  is  concerned,  indicates  what  important  results  would 
flow  from  a  similar  movement  toward  reciprocity  in  the  North. 

Happily,  soon  an  opportunity  will  be  afforded  to  test  the 
question  whether  this  is  dtsired  or  not.  A  general  election  in 
Canada,  by  the  dissolution  of  Parliament,  impends,  and  on  that 
occasion  the  people  will  have  it  in  their  power  to  decide  which 


policy  shall  prevail ;  whetlier  the  policy  of  isolation,  of  restriction, 
and  of  practical  hostility  to  the  United  States,  as  exemplified  by 
the  Tory  party,  on  the  one  hand,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
policy  of  unrestricted  trade  with  the  United  States,  as  advo- 
cated by  the  Liberal  party,  resulting  in  the  opening-up  of  all  the 
resources  of  the  continent  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and 
of  a  market  for  their  manufactures  the  future  extent  andirapor. 
tance  of  which  no  man  can  tell. 

There  need  be  little  doubt  which  side  will  pre^'ail  in  this 
Canadian  con  I  ^::t,  if  only  reasonable  discernment  and  common  pru- 
dence actuate  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  at  this  juncture. 
The  McKinley  Bill  comes  just  in  time  to  serve  as  an  object-lesson 
to  the  Canadian  farmer,  and  all  dependent  upon  him,  of  what  they 
will  encounter  if  the  Tory  government  prevails.  If  he  prefers  the 
Tory  government,  then  the  prohibition  of  his  exports  to  the  United 
States  under  tlie  provisions  of  that  tariff  will  ensue  ;  and,  hav- 
ing deliberately  chosen,  he  may  suffer  the  consequences. 

But  side  by  side  with  the  McKinley  Bill  there  is  another 
measure  of  equal  importance  before  the  Congress  of  the  United 
Statos — a  measure  that,  so  far  as  Canada  is  coucerned,  will  make 
the  issue  plain  whether  the  people  of  that  country  desire  a  closer 
relation  with  the  United  States  or  not.  The  measure  referred 
to  is  the  Butterworth  bill  providing  for  uniestricted  rbciprocity, 
which  is  epitomized  in  a  resolution  recommended  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Foreign  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  through 
its  astute  chairman,  the  Hon.  R.  R.  Hitt.  The  latter  is  only  a 
resolution  of  ten  lines,  but  rarely,  if  ever  before  in  the  history  of 
legislation,  has  there  been  matter  of  greater  import  contained  in  a 
space  so  small.  For  if  this  resolution  should  pass,  and  go  to  the 
people  of  Canada  side  by  side  with  the  McKinley  Bill,  and  the 
choice  of  one  or  the  other  be  the  question  to  be  decided,  it  is  im- 
possil^le  to  believe  that  the  policy  which  most  favored  the  people 
of  the  United  States  would  not  be  overwhelmingly  adopted. 
The  resolution  is  in  the  following  words  : 

"Resolved,  That  whenever  it  shall  be  duly  certified  to  the  President  of  t&e 
United  Stales  that  the  KOiernment  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  has  declared  a  desire 
to  enter  into  such  oammorcial  arrangements  with  the  United  States  as  wiU  result  in 
the  complete  removal  of  all  duties  upon  trade  between  Canada  ajid  the  United 
States,  he  shall  appoint  three  oommlusioners,  to  met-t  those  wh'  may  be  desiiniated 
to  represent  the  government  of  Canada,  to  consider  the  best  niethod  of  extending 
the  trade  relatiorm  between  Canada  and  the  United  States,  and  to  ascertain  on  what 
terms  greater  fr'^edom  of  intercourse  between  the  two  countries  can  beet  besecuret*,; 


I 


9 


** 


f 


»nd  said  oommissioners  shall  roport  to  the  President,  who  shall  lay  the  report  before 
Congress." 

The  passage  of  the  foregoing  resohition  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  would  have  an  important  effect,  showing  that  the 
policy  of  pressure  07i  Canada  was  not  that  which  the  people  of 
this  country  desired  to  enforce.  The  McKinley  Bill  alone  has 
that  effect;  its  enforcement,  without  some  mitigating  expression, 
would  beget  precisely  the  same  consequences  that  followed  the 
repeal  of  the  Reciprocity  Treaty  in  1866,  when,  amid  a  burdt  of 
loyalty  to  Great  Britain,  a  determination  was  reached  to  be  inde- 
pendent of  tlie  United  States.  The  national  policy  succeeded; 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad  was  built;  the  fisheries  trouble 
followed;  and  all  the  strain  and  loss  of  hostile  tariffs,  for  both 
sides  of  the  border,  have  ev^r  since  ensued.  But  the  bill  of  Mr. 
Butterworth  or  the  resolution  of  Mr.  Ilitt,  if  passed  by  Congress, 
would  show  the  real  sentiment  of  the  people  of  the  United  States — 
a  sentiment  which  has  its  expression  in  the  approval  of  Mr.  Blaine's 
remarkably  sagacious  plan,  viz.,  a  desire  for  a  trade  that  shall  be 
continental  in  extent  »nd  continental  in  profit. 

The  passage  of  this  resolution  along  with  the  McKinley  Bill 
would  place  upon  the  Canadians  the  responsibility  of  their  future 
policy  regarding  the  United  States.  Fortunately  as  to  time  and 
circumstances,  a  constitutional  means  is  at  hand  in  the  shape  of  a 
general  parliamentary  election  to  enable  them  to  pronounce  that 
decision,  and  the  resrlt  will  be  a  most  important  indication,  so 
far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned,  as  to  the  future  po^'cy  to 
bo  pursued.  A  verdict  in  favor  of  the  Liberal  party  of  tJanada 
would  be  a  decision  looking  to  the  most  intimate  relations  with 
this  country ;  to  the  openiug-up  of  every  resource  that  Canada 
possesses  for  American  energy,  ingenuity,  and  capital ;  to  an 
adjustment  of  all  questions  that  now  vex  the  two  peoples  ;  to  the 
creation  of  a  market  for  the  manufactures  and  merchandise  of 
the  United  States  ;  and,  generally,  to  advantages  quite  as  great 
as  the  creation  of  a  new  series  i  l  States  and  territories,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  already  existing  in  the  North  and  Northwest.  So 
that  without  the  drawing  of  a  sword  the  shedding  of  a  drop  of 
blood,  or  the  expenditure  of  a  single  dollar,  the  area  of  the  trade 
of  the  United  States  could  be  doubled. 

It  will  be  seen  in  all  this  that  the  auestion  of  annexation  does 
not  arise  ;  neither  does  the  question  of  a  disturbed  relation  with 
Great  Britain,  either  on  the  part  of  Canada  or  the  United  States, 


10 


obtrude  itself.  Tlie  future  destiny  of  Canada  may  be  left  to 
fihape  itself  under  circumstances  that  would  favor  the  most  inti- 
mate relation  with  the  people  of  this  country.  The  political  con- 
nection between  the  United  States  and  Canada  may  be  a  difficult 
one  to  achieve  at  best,  and  a  half-century  must  elapse  before  a 
definite  result  in  that  direction  could  be  accomplished.  Those 
who  are  anxious  for  an  immediate  extension  of  trade  and  an  en- 
largement of  of)portunity  may  well  be  impatient  at  the  delay 
M'hich  a  political  union  implies,  and  adopt  the  sentiment  of 
Horace,  that  "  the  short  space  of  life  forbids  us  from  laying  plans 
requiring  a  long  time  for  their  accomplishment." 

The  question  as  to  the  loyalty  of  the  Canadian  people  to  the 
British  crowr  is  not  at  issue  in  the  contest  that  impends.  Were 
it  so,  in  the  present  condition  of  public  sentiment,  the  verdict 
would  most  unquestionably  be  in  favor  of  a  maintenance  of 
British  connection,  even  at  the  risk  of  tremendous  sacrifices  ;  for 
there  is  more  loyalty  in  the  remotest  regions  of  Canada  than  there 
is  in  the  heart  of  London  itself.  But  while  the  question  of  British 
connection  is  not  involved  in  the  decision  as  between  the  national 
policy  of  the  Tory  party  in  Canada,  and  the  Liberal  party's  policy 
of  unrestricted  reciprocity  with  the  United  States,  nevertheless  a 
very  great  strain  is  likely  to  bo  put  upon  the  Canadian  people  in 
this — that  by  deciding  in  favor  of  reciprocity  they  decide  in  favor 
of  the  free  admission  of  American  manufactures;  while  they  still 
continue  to  levy  a  tax  on  English  goods. 

Th<f  spectacle  would  then  be  presented  of  one  part  of  the 
British  empire  (comprising  40  per  cent,  of  its  whole  area)  dis- 
criminating against  the  products  and  manufactures  of  the  parent 
country,  while  admitting  those  of  a  commercial  rival  free  of 
charge.  What  Mr.  Blaine  wants  from  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  as 
dependencies  of  Spain  (as  pointed  out  by  Senator  Frys),  in  the  free 
admission  of  American  manufactures,  even  as  against  Spain,  as  the 
price  paid  for  the  free  admission  of  sugar  into  the  United  States, 
Canada  under  unrestricted  reciprocity  would  be  compelled  to  grant 
as  to  all  articles  of  merchandise.  The  question  is  a  grave  one  for 
the  people  of  Canada  to  answer;  but  the  answer  that  will  come  is 
that  the  personal  interest  of  her  own  people  should  not  be  sacri- 
ficed for  the  personal  interest  of  the  English  manufacturer,  who 
has  no  more  interest  in  the  Canadian  consumer  than  in  the  Fiji 
Islander,  if  he  will  pay  spot-cash  for  his  purchases. 


'7  6  O  S6 


11 

The  prine  for  free  admission  of  Canadian  products  into  the 
markets  of  the  United  States  is  tlie  free  admission  of  American 
goods  into  the  markets  of  Canada.  1'here  is  a  good  deal  of  loyalty 
in  Canada  to  Britiali  institutions  and  to  Her  Majesty,  out  the 
loyalty  does  not  extend  to  the  personal  and  individual  interests  of 
English  manufacturers,  tc  the  sacrifice  of  those  of  tha  Canadian 
farmer.  So  far  as  a  discrimination  against  English  goods  is  con- 
cerned, it  is  no  reflection  upon  English  institutions  or  lack  of 
loyalty  to  them  that  would  induce  a  Canadian  farmer  to  prefer 
prints  from  Providence,  H.  I.,  duty  free,  at  two-thirds  the  price, 
to  prints  from  Manchester,  England,  against  which  a  duty  would 
be  levied,  and  which  would  therefore  be  just  so  much  dearer.  The 
individual  interest  of  the  various  classes  of  British  subjects  is  the 
question  at  issue — not  the  question  of  loyalty  or  disloyalty. 

Nevertheless,  the  point  is  a  delicate  one,  and  the  opportunity 
which  would  be  afforded  for  its  answer  by  the  passage  in  Con- 
gress of  the  Hitt  resolution  would  be  full  of  the  deepest  interest 
to  tlie  people  of  the  United  States.  It  is  only  by  the  constitu- 
tional means  of  a  general  election  in  which  the  whole  people  will 
participate  that  a  question  so  momentous  can  be  decided — a 
question  that  v/ill  shape  the  relations  hereafter  to  exist  between 
the  English-speaking  people  who  occupy  this  continent.  Never 
before  in  their  history  did  the  time  and  the  circumstances  seem 
more  opportune  for  submitting  the  question  as  to  what  these  rela- 
tions should  be.  If  Congress  can  be  prevailed  upon  to  adopt  the 
Butterworth  bill  or  the  recommendations  of  its  Committee  on 
Foreign  Affairs,  the  test  can  be  made,  and  by  this  peaceful  means 
alone  can  Canada  be  captured. 

The  consequences  that  will  follow  the  breaking-down  of  the 
commercial  barrier  that  now  divides  this  continent  into  two  parts 
may  well  be  left  for  the  future  to  unfold.  That  the  attractive- 
ness of  republican  institutions  will  more  and  more  impress  itself 
on  the  Canadian  people,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  That  close  con- 
tact with  the  people  of  the  United  States  will  more  and  more 
draw  the  nation  to  the  north  toward  what  in  the  end  may  be  a 
political  emorace,  many  earnestly  believe.  Whether  this  comes  or 
not  in  the  futuro,  the  preseuw  demands  that  reciprocity  of  interests 
should  remove  all  causes  of  separation,  and  that  Canada  shouM 
bo  bound  to  this  country  by  the  closest  commfMcial  ties. 


"^" 


^^mm^' 


12 


It  may  be  aeked  what  Great  Britain  will  say  to  the  propositioa 
that  Canada  should  admit  the  manufactures  of  the  United  States 
free,  while  those  of  the  mother  country  continue  to  be  taxed. 
Although  Canada  rvgulatos  her  own  tariif,  the  consent  of  the 
British  Government  is  essential  to  legislation  which  would  give 
effect  to  a  free  interchange  of  products  between  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  Nay  more,  a  treaty  would  be  essential,  in  order 
that  "the  constraint  of  the  public  faith"  may  be  secured  for  a 
period  of  years, — the  question  is.  Will  Great  Britain  negotiate 
that  treaty  at  the  request  of  the  Canadian  people  ?  In  reply  it 
may  be  said  it  is  only  pushing  to  its  extreme  limit  the  libei'ty 
already  granted  to  colonies  to  tax  British  goods,  which  they  now 
do,  equal  to  those  of  othei'  countries  for  the  benefit  of  the  local 
manufacturers.  There  are  many  reasons  why  Canada  should  have 
freedom  in  this  matter.  British  investments  in  Canada  amount- 
ing to  over  800  luillion  dollars,  involving  a  contribution  of 
interest  to  England  of  at  least  25  million  dollars  per  annum. 
The  ability  of  Canada  to  pay  interest  m'ouM  be  enormously 
increased  by  the  prosperity  which  would  flow  from  reciprocity 
with  the  United  States.  The  British  political  economist,  after 
all,  is  looking  for  dividends.  But,  aside  from  this  practical 
view.  Great  Britain  would  han^'ydeny  to  Canada  the  complete 
and  perfect  liberty  which  she  herself  preaches,  and  nothing 
would  80  soon  weal^eu  the  tie  that  binds  the  daughter  and  mother 
together  as  the  refusal  by  Great  Britain  of  the  greatest  privileges 
and  the  greatest  advantages  that  have  ever  been  offered  to  the 
Canadian  people. 

If  Canada  asks  Great  Britain  for  the  privilege  of  complete 
rec^^jrocity  with  the  United  States,  and  Great  Britain  refuses. 
Cheat  Britain  will  lose  Canada,  If,  on  the  other  hand,  Great 
Britain  consents  to  the  request  that  American  goods  be  admitted 
free  into  forty  per  cent,  of  her  empire,  while  the  exaction  of  a 
duty  continues  on  her  own  manufactures,  the  relation  between  her- 
self and  the  colony  will  be  materially  lessened.  Move  which  way  she 
inay,  Canada  would  be  freer.  Her  people,  freed  from  trade 
restrictions,  and  at  liberty  to  do  'as  they  ch  jose,  will  have  the 
shaping  of  their  own  destiny,  and  the  future  relation  between  the 
two  English-speaking  countries  on  the  continent  ei  North 
r\merica  may  be  left  to  take  care  of  itself. 

Ekastus  Wimak. 


■^«*iii5^>-'' 


i 


